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Monday, 16 October 2006 |
Dutch swimming star Pieter van den Hoogenband to retire
Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband has announced he will retire from the sport after the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
"I will be 30 by then, and I have had a lot of fun," Pieter van den Hoogenband said and he added, "But my career will be closed at the next Olympics."
Pieter van den Hoogenband will be aiming for his third straight 100m freestyle gold in China and holds the world mark of 47.84 seconds but he warned fewer records will be broken in Beijing if the swimming finals are moved to the morning at the request of American broadcasters.
Pieter van den Hoogenband told Melbourne's Sunday Herald newspaper: "We love our sport and to have people following you on TV is nice, but don't forget what swimming is all about.
"It's about good races and breaking records, and if we cannot do our best performance because we have to swim our finals when we should be swimming heats we are on the wrong track.
"I love tradition and I love the history of our sport. You have legends, and you know the programme in swimming, it has been there for a long time.
"I think it's very bad to do something because people are paying more money."
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Last Updated ( Wednesday, 18 October 2006 )
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